Remarks by the President on the
Resignation of Chief of Staff Bill DaleyState
Dining RoomThe
White HouseJanuary
9, 2012

3:02 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody.
Hope you all had a good weekend.

Last week, my Chief of Staff, Bill Daley, informed me that after
spending time reflecting with his family over the holidays, he decided
it was time to leave Washington and return to our beloved hometown of
Chicago.

Obviously this was not easy news to hear. And I didn’t accept
Bill’s
decision right away. In fact, I asked him to take a couple of
days to
make sure that he was sure about this. But in the end, the pull
of the
hometown we both love -- a city that’s been synonymous with the Daley
family for generations -- was too great. Bill told me that he
wanted
to spend more time with his family, especially his grandchildren, and
he felt it was the right decision.

One of the things that made it easier was the extraordinary work that
he has done for me during what has been an extraordinary year.
Bill
has been an outstanding Chief of Staff during one of the busiest and
most consequential years of my administration.

We were thinking back, just a year ago this weekend, before he was even
named for the job, Bill was in the Situation Room getting updates on
the shooting in Tucson. On his very first day, Bill took part in
a
meeting where we discussed Osama bin Laden’s compound in
Abbottabad.
This was all before he even had time to unpack his office.

Over the last year, he’s been intimately involved in every decision
surrounding the end of the war in Iraq and our support of the people of
Libya as they fought for their freedom. He was instrumental in
developing the American Jobs Act and making sure taxes didn’t go up on
middle-class families. He helped us reach an agreement to reduce
the
deficit by over $2 trillion. And he played a central role in
passing
historic trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
Given
his past record of service as Secretary of Commerce, he was invaluable
in all these negotiations.

So no one in my administration has had to make more important decisions
more quickly than Bill. And that’s why I think this decision was
difficult for me. Naturally, when Bill told me his plans to go
back to
Chicago, I asked him who I thought could fill his shoes. He told
me
that there was one clear choice, and I believe he’s right. So
today
I’m pleased to announce that Jack Lew has agreed to serve as my next
Chief of Staff.

Let me begin, first of all, by thanking Ruth for allowing Jack to serve
in what I know is one of the most difficult jobs in Washington.
But
Jack has had one of the other most difficult jobs in Washington.
For
more than a year, Jack has served as the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget. As anyone who’s been following the news
lately
can tell you, this is not an easy job.

During his first tour at OMB under President Clinton, Jack was the only
budget director in history to preside over budget surpluses for three
consecutive years. And over the last year, he has helped
strengthen
our economy and streamline the government at a time when we need to do
everything we can to keep our recovery going.

Jack’s economic advice has been invaluable and he has my complete
trust, both because of his mastery of the numbers, but because of the
values behind those numbers. Ever since he began his career in
public
as a top aide to Speaker Tip O’Neill, Jack has fought for an America
where hard work and responsibility pay off, a place where everybody
gets a fair shot, everybody does their fair share, and everybody plays
by the same rules. And that belief is reflected in every decision
that
Jack makes.

Jack also has my confidence on matters outside the borders.
Before he
served at OMB for me, Jack spent two years running the extremely
complex and challenging budget and operations process for Secretary
Clinton at the State Department, where his portfolio also included
managing the civilian operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. And
over the
last year, he has weighed in on many of the major foreign policy
decisions that we’ve made.

So there is no question that I’m going to deeply miss having Bill by my
side here at the White House. But as he will soon find out,
Chicago is
only a phone call away and I’m going to be using that phone number
quite a bit. I plan to continue to seek Bill’s advice and counsel
on a
whole range of issues in the months and years to come. And here
in
Washington, I have every confidence that Jack will make sure that we
don’t miss a beat and continue to do everything we can to strengthen
our economy and the middle class and keep the American people safe.

So I want to thank, once again, Bill for his extraordinary service, but
also his extraordinary friendship and loyalty to me. It’s meant a
lot. And I want to congratulate Jack on his new role. I
know he is
going to do an outstanding job, so thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

END 3:07
P.M. ESTNOTE:
On Nov. 8, 2011 the Wall Street
Journal reported, "On Monday [Nov. 7], Mr. Daley turned over
day-to-day management of the West Wing to Pete Rouse, a veteran aide to
President Obama..."

Remarks by the
President Announcing William M. Daley as White House Chief of StaffEast RoomThe White
HouseJanuary 6,
2011

2:29 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Please have a seat,
everybody. Happy New
Year. Last October, when my former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel
departed to pursue other opportunities in Chicago, I asked Pete Rouse,
one of my most trusted aides, to step into the breach and lead us
through a very difficult time. And I also asked Pete to help us
think
about how the White House should be structured and run over the next
two years.

Thanks in no small part to his efforts, a period that everybody thought
would be one of retrenchment turned out to be one of great progress for
our country. And Pete’s leadership is all the more remarkable
when you
consider that when I first met him and asked him to lead my Senate
staff, he told me in that gruff voice of his that his strong
inclination was to leave government. (Laughter and
applause.) The
reason everybody is applauding is because they’ve heard him say that
every day -- (laughter) -- they’ve heard him say that every day for the
last six years. And yet, each time I’ve asked him to accept one
more
assignment, he’s saddled up and he’s taken the job. And it’s fair
to
say that I would not be where I am today without his extraordinary
counsel.

Pete didn’t volunteer to serve as interim Chief of Staff. He made
it
clear that that was not his preference. But he accepted the
responsibility, and as he oversaw our strategy during the lame duck
session of Congress, he also was working to develop a structure and a
plan for the next two years that I believe will serve the White House,
and more importantly the American people, very well. One of those
assignments was providing me recommendations for candidates to serve as
Chief of Staff moving forward.

As part of that process, today I am proud to announce the appointment
of an experienced public servant, a devoted patriot, my friend, fellow
Chicagoan Bill Daley, to serve as my Chief of Staff. (Applause.)

Few Americans can boast the breadth of experience that Bill brings to
this job. He served as a member of President Clinton’s Cabinet as
Commerce Secretary. He took on several other important duties
over the
years on behalf of our country. He’s led major
corporations. He
possesses a deep understanding of how jobs are created and how to grow
our economy. And needless to say, Bill also has a smidgen of
awareness
of how our system of government and politics works. You might say
it
is a genetic trait. (Laughter.)

But most of all, I know Bill to be somebody who cares deeply about this
country, believes in its promise and considers no calling higher and
more important than serving the American people. He will bring
his
tremendous experience, his strong values and forward-looking vision to
this White House. I’m convinced that he’ll help us in our mission
of
growing our economy and moving America forward. And I very much
look
forward to working with Bill in the years to come.

Before I ask Bill to say a few words, I should also confess that I have
prevailed once again on Pete’s sense of duty -- or sense of guilt, I’m
not sure which -- and I’m grateful that he has agreed to one more tour
of duty as my counselor for the next two years. (Applause.)

As you might have noticed, people like
Pete. (Laughter.) He is a
unique and indispensable asset to me and to this administration.
I
cannot imagine life here without him, and I told him so. And I’m
delighted that we’re able to keep him a little bit longer.

I’ll be making further announcements in the
days and weeks ahead,
and I am absolutely confident that we will have a great team that’s
equal to America’s task in the years to come. But with that, what
I’d
like to do is to introduce my new Chief of Staff, Bill Daley.
(Applause.)

Thank you very much, Mr. President, Mr. Vice
President. You have
honored me and my family by giving me an opportunity to serve you and
to serve our nation.

Fifty years ago this month I visited the White
House with my
parents and my brothers and sisters to visit a young President who went
on to show great strength, leadership and vision in the face of
enormous challenges in those times.

You, Mr. President, are proving your strength,
your leadership,
your vision during a most difficult time for our nation and for the
world. You have also shown through your example that public
service is
an honorable calling, and I am pleased to answer your call.

I look forward to working with the wonderful
staff which you have
assembled, and I know my job will be made easier by the great work and
direction of Pete Rouse, the direction and great work he has provided
over these past couple of months, and the President talked about the
enormous successes under Pete’s watch.

Pete, too, has dedicated his life to public
service and to our
nation, and I’m grateful for his efforts, and I am proud to call him my
colleague. I assure you, Mr. President, as they have done in the
last
two years, that this team will not let you down, nor the nation.

Thank you very much for this extreme honor. (Applause.)

END
2:35 P.M. EST

E-MAIL from White House
Chief of Staff Bill Daley via The Washington Post
January 27, 2011

Today, I am pleased to announce a number of important White House
personnel decisions. I believe these decisions will bring greater
clarity to our structure and roles and will enhance coordination and
collaboration among us. I am excited about these changes and I look
forward to working with all of you - those in existing roles as well as
those filling new roles - in the weeks and months ahead. We have a
great team.

I want to thank Pete Rouse for his counsel and leadership in this
effort. My mission is to get the most out of the great talent that
President Obama has brought to the White House so that we can all help
him effectively serve and lead the American people.

Below are the names and titles of those assuming new roles:

• Ron Bloom, Assistant to the President for Manufacturing Policy
(National Economic Council)

• Jay Carney, Assistant to the President and Press Secretary

• Stephanie Cutter, Assistant to the President and Deputy Senior Advisor

• Nancy-Ann DeParle, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of
Staff for Policy

• David Lane, Assistant to the President and Counselor to the Chief of
Staff

• Alyssa Mastromonaco, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of
Staff for Operations

• Rob Nabors, Assistant to the President and Director of Legislative
Affairs

• Emmett Beliveau, Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
to the Chief of Staff

• Jon Carson, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the
Office of Public Engagement

• Danielle Crutchfield, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director
of Scheduling and Advance

• David Cusack, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of
Advance

• Mike Strautmanis, Deputy Assistant to the President and Counselor for
Strategic Engagement to the Senior Advisor

• Jessica Wright, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of
Scheduling

• Brian Deese, Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director
of the National Economic Council

Some of you may have heard that Phil Schiliro's intention was to leave
the White House at the end of the last Congress. Phil has made
extraordinary contributions to the President's success, and I've asked
him to slow his departure in order to lend his wise counsel and
guidance in the transition period ahead.

I am looking forward to collaborating with all of you. Effective
collaboration requires a clear understanding of roles and
responsibilities, so that we can hold each other accountable for the
duties we've each undertaken. In coming days, I hope to clarify further
the roles each of our offices needs to play, so we can continue to work
together in the highly productive way the that we must.

I want to thank each of you for your hard work and for your commitment
to serving the President and American people. We've got a lot of
important work ahead of us.